Mar 03 2008
Finding our place in the Biblical story
The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story
Craig B. Bartholomew & Michael W. Goheen
Baker Academic, 2004
ISBN: 0801027462
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Many of us will admit that far too often we read the Bible as if it was, in the words of the authors, a “mosaic of little bits - theological bits, moral bits, historical-critical bits, sermons bits, devotional bits.” But doing so prohibits us from seeing God’s intention to shape our lives through the biblical story line.
The authors present the biblical story in terms of a six-act play. The three acts devoted to the Old Testament are: the Creation, the Fall, and the Choosing of Israel. Following an Interlude (covering Intertestamental material), the New Testament is presented in the final three acts: the Coming of the king, the Spreading News of the King, and the Return of the King. (Older believers may be reminded of W. Graham Scroggie’s Unfolding Drama of Redemption published by Pickering & Inglis in 1953.)
More than a manual instructing us how to escape a sinful world, Bartholomew and Goheen see Scripture as presenting God’s mission to restore all creation to a place where the entire cosmos thrives under his good rule. In the process, believers discover they have a significant part in the mission, thus giving dignity to every aspect of life.
The book reads very well and will prove to be a useful resource in small group settings or adult Bible classes. An added benefit is an online site providing a growing list of excellent resources for those planning to use this text in a class setting.
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A version of this review was first published in FaithToday.You can purchase this book online by clicking on the title below.
The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story
By Craig G. Bartholomew & Michael W. Goheen / Baker
It is amazing how few believers have any sense of the flow of Biblical history. I appreciate New Tribes Mission’s “Firm Foundations” in laying the groundwork in a chronological framework of God’s progressive revelation. Thanks for this encouragement to study the Bible as it actually is. May more leaders be called back to systematic instruction through complete books of Scripture.
To my regret, after reading Goheen & Bartholomew, I had to admit that , despite three-plus decades of preaching & teaching, I didn’t really have a good grasp of the overall flow of the OT Scriptures. I knew the stories, the major events, and had spent considerable time in the Psalms, but I was woefully deficient in my grasp of the prophets.
When I came to the Toronto Jewish Mission in 2002, I found I had a lot of catching up to do in terms of seeing just how the OT meshed with the NT. Like many of my evangelical Baptist colleagues (not all), I invested a disproportionate amount of time in the NT, neglecting the major part of revelation. I am playing catch-up.
I too like the NTM’s “Firm Foundations” material for its clear presentation of the flow from Creation to the coming of Messiah Jesus.
Thanks for your comments.